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Widespread magma oceans on asteroidal bodies in the early Solar System

Nature volume 435, pages 916–918 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Immediately following the formation of the Solar System, small planetary bodies accreted1, some of which melted to produce igneous rocks2,3. Over a longer timescale (15–33 Myr), the inner planets grew by incorporation of these smaller objects4,5 through collisions. Processes operating on such asteroids strongly influenced the final composition of these planets4, including Earth5. Currently there is little agreement about the nature of asteroidal igneous activity: proposals range from small-scale melting, to near total fusion and the formation of deep magma oceans2. Here we report a study of oxygen isotopes in two basaltic meteorite suites, the HEDs (howardites, eucrites and diogenites, which are thought to sample the asteroid 4 Vesta6) and the angrites (from an unidentified asteroidal source). Our results demonstrate that these meteorite suites formed during early, global-scale melting (≥ 50 per cent) events. We show that magma oceans were present on all the differentiated Solar System bodies so far sampled. Magma oceans produced compositionally layered planetesimals; the modification of such bodies before incorporation into larger objects can explain some anomalous planetary features, such as Earth's high Mg/Si ratio.

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Figure 1: Oxygen isotope variation diagram for HEDs and angrites.
Figure 2: Mass fractionation lines for Mars, Earth, Moon, Vesta and the angrite parent body.

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Acknowledgements

We thank M. Drake for comments on the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. PSSRI, Open University, Walton Hall, Milton, MK7 6AA, Keynes, UK

    Richard C. Greenwood & Ian A. Franchi

  2. Laboratoire MAGIE, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, CNRS UMR 7047 case 110, 4 place Jussieu, 75252, Paris, Cedex 05, France

    Albert Jambon

  3. Department of Geology, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, 6140, Grahamstown, South Africa

    Paul C. Buchanan

Authors
  1. Richard C. Greenwood
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  2. Ian A. Franchi
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  3. Albert Jambon
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  4. Paul C. Buchanan
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Correspondence to Richard C. Greenwood.

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Supplementary information

Supplementary Table

Oxygen isotope data for HEDs and angrites. (XLS 28 kb)

Supplementary Notes

Model to study a partial melting of a non-equilibrated HED parent body. (XLS 37 kb)

Supplementary Methods

Oxygen isotope analysis using an infrared laser fluorination system. (DOC 26 kb)

Supplementary Discussion

Differences between magma oceans on asteroids and planets and additional references. (DOC 24 kb)

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Greenwood, R., Franchi, I., Jambon, A. et al. Widespread magma oceans on asteroidal bodies in the early Solar System. Nature 435, 916–918 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature03612

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